Peroxidase levels in food: Relevance to colorectal cancer screening

Abstract

The peroxidase content of aqueous extracts of a variety of fresh foods was measured by spectrophotometry and expressed in relation to the pseudoperoxidase activity of blood. A wide range of activities was found in extracts from different foods but inter sample and inter seasonal variation for any single food was of no practical significance. The results may be used to design diets suitable for colorectal cancer screening programs that use peroxidase-dependent fecal occult blood tests.